West Pines Baptist Church
Statement of Faith

The Scriptures

We believe the Bible is God’s written revelation to man. All Scripture is inspired by God, being infallible (unfailing in its purpose) and inerrant (fully trustworthy, accurate, and free from any error) in its original manuscripts. The Scriptures are comprised only of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. Since the Bible is God’s Word, God said what He meant and meant what He said. The Bible is to be interpreted literally, which means normally, grammatically, historically, and contextually.

We believe the Bible to be the center of true Christian unity and the supreme standard by which all other philosophies and activities must be measured.

Therefore, we commit ourselves to regular reading and studying of God’s Word with conformity to godliness being the goal that we may be equipped to do all the work that God has for us individually and collectively to accomplish.

2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Luke 24:44

The True God

We believe that one true eternal God exists as a tri-unity of three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; equal in every divine perfection, but executing distinct but harmonious offices.

Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14

We believe in God the Father, perfect in holiness, boundless in love, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in all the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayers, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ, His Son.

Isaiah 6:3; 1 John 3:6; Psalm 147:5, Revelation 19:6; John 3:16

We believe in Jesus Christ, God the Son, preexistent with the Father, begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary sinless in His nature and life; infallible in His teaching; making atonement for the sin of the world by His substitutionary death on the cross. We believe in His bodily resurrection, His ascension into Heaven, His perpetual intercession for His people, and His literal pre-millennial, pre-tribulation return.

We believe in the deity and the personality of the Holy Spirit. He is the agent of the New Birth, who at the time of salvation permanently indwells and seals the new believer (Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13-14) and baptizes (places) him into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). He further ministers to the believer by teaching (1 John 2:27), interceding (Romans 8:28), guiding (Romans 8:14), filling (Acts 4:31), and imparting spiritual gifts (1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 12:11). We believe that the gifts of healing, tongues and other revelatory gifts served a unique purpose in the apostolic church and are not in operation today.

Creation

We believe the Genesis account of creation. We believe that man came by direct creation of God and not by evolution. We believe that He spoke into existence all of creation in six days, then rested on the seventh day and that the days of creation were literal twenty-four hour periods.

Genesis 1; Genesis 2:7; Colossians 1:16-17

Angels

We believe God created innumerable sinless, spiritual beings known as angels. They serve as God’s ministering messengers, advancing the cause of the kingdom of God. Lucifer, a high-ranking angel, sinned through pride and rebellion. Becoming Satan, he led a great number of the angelic host to oppose God and to be expelled from heaven. These fallen angels, now known as demons and evil spirits, join with Satan to thwart the program of God. Therefore, recognizing that the conflict of the ages is primarily spiritual, we focus our efforts on the victory found in God’s kingdom.

Ephesians 6:10-18; Hebrews 1:14

Man

We believe that man was created in the image of God with moral innocence and holiness, yet man fell into sin by voluntary transgression of God’s commands. As a result, all mankind are sinners and therefore under just condemnation. Man is totally depraved and unable to choose to do anything that pleases God until after salvation. Man’s only remedy is the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Salvation

We believe that man is destined for Hell because of his sin and that God cannot allow sin into Heaven, therefore man must have the forgiveness for his sin in order to obtain eternal life. Eternal life is offered by God as a free gift to man and that man can in no way contribute to this gift through good deeds or religious sacraments.

Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Romans 6:23

Eternal life can only be received as a repentant person exercises saving faith in the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross and in His resurrection from the dead.

Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; John 1:12

We further maintain that the new birth is the instantaneous impartation of life and not a process and that all those who are truly born again can never lose their salvation; they are eternally secure!

John 10:27-29; 1 Peter 1:5; Romans 8:35-39; Ephesians 1:13-14

The Christian Life

We believe that those who personally receive Christ are called with a holy calling to walk not after the sinful nature, but after the righteousness of the spirit of God within them. While believers are positionally sanctified before God at the point of faith, it should be the Christian’s desire to advance progressively in personal growth as well. Growth can be enhanced as born-again followers of Christ practice the following:

Daily study of God’s Word.

Regular Prayer.

The exercise of Spiritual gifts.

Immediate confession of sin.

Faithfulness and involvement in the Church.

Avoidance of divisive or destructive speech, but rather, conversation that edifies.

Proper respect for other Christians, striving for unity in the Spirit.

Separation from sin and its lure.

Refraining from all substance abuse, which would serve to harm the body, the dwelling place of the Spirit of God.

A responsible family life, including abstention from fornication, adultery, and homosexuality.

Submission to human government, except where government is contrary to Biblical principle.

The work of evangelism.

The Church

We believe that the universal church is a New Testament institution, a spiritual organism, composed of all the regenerated people from the day of Pentecost to the Rapture, with Christ as its head.

We believe the local church is a congregation of immersed believers, having two offices: Pastor and Deacon; and two ordinances: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Each local church is autonomous in polity and is banded together for edification, worship, and world wide evangelism.

Acts 2:40-42; Acts 6:3-4; Philippians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 8:19

We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water to show forth, in a solemn and beautiful emblem, identification with the crucified, buried, and risen Savior through whom we died to sin and rose to a new life. We believe that baptism is to be performed under the authority of a New Testament church and that it is a prerequisite to the privilege of church membership.

Acts 8:36, 38-39; Romans 6:3-5

We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of His death until He comes and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination.

1 Corinthians 11:23-28; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-42

We believe in obedience to the biblical commands to separate ourselves unto God from worldliness, ecclesiastical apostasy, and religious compromise.

Future Events

We believe God has a plan and program for future events to the ultimate culmination of His divine purposes.
The future for believers includes:
Rapture to Heaven.
Bema seat judgment.
Marriage supper of the Lamb and union with Christ.
Return to Earth with the Lord.
The Millennial Kingdom.
The New Heaven and New Earth.
The future for those who reject Christ includes:
Death and torment in Hell.
A seven year worldwide tribulation.
Final rebellion and crushing of Satan.
The Great White Throne Judgment.
The Lake of Fire.

With the view of God’s future for mankind, it then becomes the Christian’s responsibility to prepare himself with purity and to seek the conversion of the world from the powers of darkness to the Kingdom of God’s light.